Terminal Station,
Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
, is a railroad station that was built in 1916,
and is located on 5th St. at the end of Cherry St. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architect
Alfred T. Fellheimer (1875–1959), prominent for his design of
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 1903. The station building is part of the
Macon Historic District, which is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. While no longer an active train station, it has been the location of the
Macon Transit Authority bus hub since 2014.
Early history
Col. Robert L. Berner, a prominent Macon attorney and former state legislator, filed a petition on September 28, 1912, with the Georgia Railroad Commission, asking that the railroads calling at Macon be required to erect an adequate
union passenger station in Macon. His efforts culminated in the construction of Terminal Station, which was officially opened in 1916.
The Terminal Station building has a limestone exterior, with the main lobby and waiting areas having floors and walls of pink Tennessee marble.
Terminal Station encompassed 13 acres and was owned by the Macon Terminal Company. By the mid-1920s, the station dispatched an estimated 100 arrivals and departures per day.
The station was served by the
Georgia Railroad,
Central of Georgia Railway,
Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad, and
Southern Railway.
The last trains running from there were the ''Royal Palm'' (1970) and the ''Nancy Hanks'' (1971). The final run of the ''Nancy Hanks'' on April 30, 1971, ended 125 years of intercity rail service in Macon.
A bronze
statue of William Morrill Wadley was erected outside the station in 1885, three years after his death.
Notable trains
*
Central of Georgia
The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constr ...
:
** ''
Nancy Hanks'': Atlanta - Savannah
The Central also operated a Birmingham - Columbus - Savannah night train through the station in the early 1950s.
*Central of Georgia and
Louisville & Nashville Railroad:
** ''
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...
'': Cincinnati - Knoxville - Atlanta - Jacksonville
** ''
Southland'': Chicago - Cincinnati - Knoxville - Atlanta - St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Miami
*
Frisco and
Southern:
**''
Kansas City-Florida Special'': Kansas City - Memphis - Birmingham - Atlanta - Jacksonville
*Southern:
**''Florida Sunbeam'': Chicago, Detroit & Cleveland - Miami
**''
Ponce de Leon'': Cincinnati - Atlanta - Jacksonville
**''
Royal Palm
''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the royal palm, Cuban royal palm, or Florida royal palm, is a species of Arecaceae, palm native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Florida, and parts of Central America. A large and attractive palm, it has been plan ...
'': Cincinnati - Atlanta - Jacksonville
Recent history
After almost sixty years of service, Terminal Station closed in 1971, and the building remained unused. In 1982, it was purchased by
Georgia Power Company and utilized as offices until the 1990s. The City of Macon purchased the Terminal Station in 2002, and funded the restoration of the building.
The city council voted in 2014 to give the property to the Macon Transit Authority.
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...
announced in July 2019 that it was moving its existing operations in Macon to the Terminal Station. The stated goal for the move was to bring passengers more local transportation options, namely the Macon Transit Authority's bus hub.
In 2020, the Terminal Station was used as a filming location for scenes from the award-winning
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
series ''
The Underground Railroad''.
Brosnan Yard
Occupying the former Central of Georgia shop complex just southwest of the Terminal Station is
Norfolk Southern's Brosnan Yard. The rail yard was opened in 1967 and named after William Brosnan, then president of Southern Railway. In 2020, it was announced that Brosnan Yard was one of several yards being idled, as part of Norfolk Southern's transition to
precision railroading.
References
External links
Official website
{{National Register of Historic Places
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1916
Former railway stations in Georgia (U.S. state)
Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
1916 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
1975 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
National Register of Historic Places in Bibb County, Georgia
Railway stations in Macon–Bibb County, Georgia
Macon
Macon
Repurposed railway stations in the United States
Railway stations in the United States closed in 1975